Folding piece of furniture of stool or table type



Oct. 1, 1957 F. A. PONTIN 2,808,100

FOLDING PIECE OF FURNITURE OF STOOL OR TABLE TYPE Filed Jan. 6, 1955 2Sheets-Sheet l 4h +4 /0 0, 3l 23 2 3/ 10 I 2 {6 2,446) 2 8 2 F. '1, F I

s 1957 F. A. PONTIN 2,808,100

FOLDING PIECE OF FURNITURE OF STOOL OR TABLE TYPE Filed Jan. 6, 1955 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. a JZwmndo 1?; Ponfdl? 19 T TOR/V5 Y UnitedStates Patent Hce Patented Oct. 1, 1957' FOLDING PIECE OF FURNITURE OFSTOOL OR TABLE TYPE Fernando A. Pontin, Seattle, Wash., assignor ofone-half to Richard A. Kuro, Seattle, Wash.

Application January 6, 1955, Serial No. 480,220

2 Claims. (Cl. 155-149) This invention relates to a folding piece offurniture of stool or table type.

An object of this invention is to provide a folding piece of furniturehaving a top and legs which fold compactly relative to each other.

Another object is to provide a folding piece of furniture of this naturewhich is simple and durable in construction, not expensive tomanufacture, attractive in appearance, and one which is easy to set upand easy to fold.

Another object is to provide a folding piece of furniture having tworelatively crossed leg members which fold compactly alongside of eachother and having a top member hinged to one of the leg members andfoldable alongside of the leg members.

Another object is to provide a folding leg construction which isparticularly well adapted for use on stools, tables and like pieces offurniture and which forms a very strong and rigid support or legstructure for the furniture.

Other objects of this invention will be apparent from the followingdescription taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a folding stool constructed inaccordance with this invention showing the same set up and ready foruse.

Fig. 2 is a plan view looking down on broken line 22 of Fig. 1 showingthe leg structure with the seat omitted.

Fig. 3 is an edge view of the stool as it may appear when it iscompletely folded.

Fig. 4 is a top view looking in the direction indicated by broken line44 of Fig. 3 and showing the stool folded.

Fig. 5 is an elevational view looking in the direction indicated bybroken line 55 of Fig. 3, parts of the legs being broken away.

Fig. 6 is a detached perspective view of one of the leg members.

Fig. 7 is a detached perspective view of the other leg member.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary side view showing a hinge means of modifiedform. V

Fig. 9 is a bottom plan view of the hinge means of Fig. 8.

Like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the severalviews.

In the drawings 10 indicates a top member in the form of a metal platehaving a padded seat 11 secured thereto. Obviously the shape and size ofthe plate 10 can be varied and any suitable top can be used instead ofthe padding 11. Also the plate 10 may, of itself, constitute the entiretop.

The leg structure comprises two relatively crossed leg members. One legmember 12 is preferably formed of a single piece of metal tubing bentinto generally reetangular shape but wider at the bottom than it is atthe top to give greater stability. The top and bottom parts of the legmember 12 are parallel and the two sides are preferably somewhatdivergent from top to bottom. The

two ends of the metal tubing used in forming the leg member 12 may bejoined midway of the length of the top bar of said leg member by fittingthem over a short metal bar 13, shown by dotted lines in Fig. 6 andriveting or welding them at the location of this bar 13.

The other leg member is of two part construction and is formed of tworelatively transversely olfset parts or halves 14 and 15. Each part 14and 15 comprises a top bar 16, a side bar 17 and a bottom bar 18. Thetop bar 16 and bottom bar 18 of each part 14 and 15 are parallel. Thetop bars 16 and bottom bars 18 of the two leg parts or halves 14 and 15are rigidly secured together by offset connector plates 19 which may bewelded or riveted or otherwise rigidly secured to the top bars 16 andbottom bars 18. The two leg parts 14 and 15 and connector plates 19 thuscooperate to form a rigid two part leg, which extends across the leg 12.The two part leg member 1415 has the same outline in side elevation asthe leg member 12 but its two halves are transversely offset so thatthey always remain on opposite sides of the leg member 12 with theoffset connector plates 19 extending across the leg 12. The upper offsetconnector plate 19 is on the lower sides of the top leg bars 16 and thelower offset connector plate 19 is on the upper sides of the lower legbars 18. Two aligned pivot members 20 pivotally connect the offsetconnector plates 19 of the two part leg 14-15 with the leg 12. The ends21 of the top bars 16 and the corresponding ends 21' of the bottom bars18 are positioned so that they will abut against the adjacent parts ofthe leg member 12 when the leg 1415 is at right angles thereto and thusfunction as stop members to help in positioning the leg 1%15 when thestool is being set up. The two legs are angularly movable relative toeach other from an open or set up position in which they are at rightangles to each other to a relatively folded position in which they liealongside of each other.

The top bar of the leg member 12 and the top plate 10 are hingedtogether for folding movement by preferably two hinges. Each hinge, asshown in Figs. 1 to 7 inclusive, comprises a hinge block 22 welded,riveted or otherwise rigidly secured to the top bar of the leg 12 andextending sidewise therefrom and cooperating with another hinge block 23which is rigidly secured to the top plate 10. A hinge pin or bolt 24extends through each pair of blocks 22 and 23 and preferably has awasher 25, a compression spring 26 and two lock nuts 27 thereon. Thespring 26 makes it possible to provide friction in the hinge and thisfriction helps to keep the parts in the folded position and preventsthem from flopping around and makes the device more convenient tohandle. The hinge blocks 22 and23 are of substantial thickness so thatthe top member 10 is spaced a substantial distance above the top bar ofthe leg member 12 and the top member 10 is firmly supported on theseblocks. Also the pivot bolts 24 are offset sidewise from the plane ofthe leg 12 far enough so that the seat will fold closely alongside ofthe two leg members when said leg mem-' bers are in folded position. Theblocks 22 and 23 .thus function as hinge blocks and as rigid spacermeans between the seat member 10 and top bar of leg 12.

Two spacer blocks 28 are welded or otherwise rigidly I 3 top plate 10.When this stool is set up and the Screws 29 tightened into the threadedholes 30 in plate they will clamp the plate 10 very firmly against theblocks 28, 22 and 23 and a very rigid and substantial structure will beprovided.

Figs. 8 and 9 show a modified form of binge in which a hinge plate 35 ofrelatively thin metal is rigidly secured to a top plate 10' whichcorresponds to the top plate 10. The hinge plate 35 is provided with twospaced apart perforated outwardly extending ears 36. A hinge block 37isfrigid with the top bar of a leg member 12' which is similar to theleg member 12 and said hinge block 37 fits between the ears 36. A pivotbolt 38 having thereon a washer 39, a compression spring 48 and locknuts 41 extends through ears 36 and hinge block 37. The lugs 36 areresilient enough to provide a substantial amount of-friction in thehinge when the spring 40 is placed under compression.

In the set up position of this piece of furniture the screws 29 arepreferably firmly tightened and this clamps the top member 10 securelyto the legs thus providing a very solid and substantial structure. Thedevice is quickly and easily folded by releasing the screws from the topplate 10, angularly moving the two leg parts 14--14 in the directionshown by the arrows A in Fig. 2 into a position parallel with andsubstantially against the leg member 12 and then folding the top asshown in Figs. 3 and 4. To unfold the device and set it up the top 10-11is first angularly moved into a position at right angles to the legs,the two leg members are then opened out at right angles to each other,the ends 21 and 21 forming stops to approximately position the legmember 1415 so the screws 29 will register with the holes 30 and thescrews are tightened into the holes 30 to firmly bind all of the partsof the, structure together.

The foregoing description and accompanying drawings clearly illustrate apreferred embodiment of this invention but it will be understood thatthis disclosure is merely illustrative and that changes may be madewithin the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a folding piece of furniture, two leg members each of generallyrectangular outline, one of said leg members being plane and flat andhaving a top bar and a bottom bar which are parallel with each other andare connected by side bars and the other leg member comprising tworelatively offset parts each formed of a top bar and a bottom barconnected by a side bar; two oflset brackets rigidly connecting the twotop bars and the ,two bottom bars of said two part leg member andextending across the top and bottom bars of the plane flat leg memberwith all of the top bars lying in a common plane and all of the bottombars lying in a common plane, said offset brackets spacing the adjacentfaces of the two parts of said two part leg member a distance apart atleast equal to the thickness of said plane flat leg member; two alignedpivots connecting the respective oifset brackets with the top and bottombars of said plane flat leg members; hinge blocks of substantialthickness rigidly secured to the top bar of said plane fiat leg memberand extending sidewise therefrom; a top member having threaded holestherein; means pivotally con necting said top member with said hingeblocks in transversely ofiset relation from said plane flat leg member,said hinge blocks providing'spacer means between said top member, andthe top bar of said plane flat leg member; spacer blocks rigid with andextending above the top bars of said two part leg member and terminatingflush with said hinge blocks; and screws positioned near said spacerblocks and extending through the two top bars of said two part legmember and positioned to releasably engage within the threaded holes insaid top member to rigidly secure said top member and said two legmembers together in set up position.

2. In a folding stool, two tubular metal leg members each of generallyrectangular outline, one of said leg members being plane and flat and ofone piece construction and having a top bar and a bottom bar which areparallel with each other and are connected by side bars and the otherleg member comprising two relatively ofiset parts each formed of a topbar and a bottom bar connected by a side bar; two olfset bracketsrigidly connecting the two top bars and the two bottom bars of said twopart leg member and extending across the top and bottom bars of theplane flat leg member with all of the top bars lying in a common planeand all of the bottom bars lying in a common plane, the adjacent ends ofthe top and bottom bars of the two offset parts of said two part legmember being spaced a distance substantially equal to the thicknessofsaid one piece leg member forming stops engaging the one piece legmember when the two leg members are substantially at right angles toeach other and the planes of the adjacent faces of the two offset partsof said two part leg member being spaced from each other a distancesubstantially equal to the over-all thickness of said one piece legmember; two aligned pivots connecting the respective offset bracketswith the top and bottom bars of said one piece leg member; hinge blocksof substantial thickness rigidly secured to the top bar of said planefiat one piece leg member and extending sidewise therefrom; a top memberhaving threaded holes therein; friction type pivot meanspivotallycon'necting said top member with said hinge blocks intransversely offset relation from said plane flat one piece leg member,said hinge blocks providing spacer means between said top member and thetop bar of said one piece leg member; spacer blocks rigid with andextending above the top bars of said two part leg member and terminatingflush with said hinge blocks; a screw positioned near each spacer blockand extending sli'dably through each top bar of said two part legmember, each screw being aligned with a threaded hole in the top memberwhen the ends forming the stop means of said two part leg member abutsaid one piece leg member, whereby easy engagement of said screws in thethreaded holes of said top member in rigidly sesuring said two legmembers and said top member in set-up position is provided; and a nutrigid on each screw preventing disengagement of the screw from its topbar and providing limited sliding movement of each screw thhrough itstop bar.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 7135,881 Birchard Feb. 18, 1873 318,298 Roberts May 19, 1885 390,340Bromer Oct. 2, 1888 392,407 Cher-man Nov. 6, 1888 901,152 Churchill Oct.13, 1908 1,402,174 Nichols et al. Jan. 3, 1922 1,652,942 James Dec. 13,1927 1,727,196 Brown Sept. 3, 1929 2,606,522 Harris Aug. 12, 1952

